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Author
Topic: subsidize Atripla side effects (Read 12121 times)

I read about Atripla side effects such as nightmares and dizzy feeling and aches, are there any medications that could help in dealing with such side effects , any experience in dealing with such side effects through other medications?

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

Hi. I have been on Atripla for since January 2008. I did experience the dreams and dizziness effects for the first 30 days, but nothing else. I am a psychologist and have HIV patients who are also on Atripla. The dreams seem to depend on one of two things: what you watch on TV before you go to sleep and your mental state. You can control what you watch on TV. So, if you want to avoid the nightmares, watch something non-violent. As far as your mental state, only you can change that. To take care of the dizziness, I took my med as night, just before going to bed.

There have been quite a few threads written in this Forum about people taking Atripla. As you will find out, it affects people differently. The majority can cope with it, a few cannot. Side effects normally will not last longer than 30 days, but if you start taking Atripla and you still have side effects after 30 days (except for the nightmares), you might have to go on a different combo.

Because of my busy schedule, I have been taking Atripla in the morning when I wake up (otherwise, I forget to take it at night) and I can get along with my day without any problems and without the need of taking any other kind of meds.

Good luck with your treatment and let us know how you are coming along.

Cheers.

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Psychologist, PhDCounseling patients with HIV since Jan 1991HIV since Dec 2005There are three parts to any successful relationship (platonic or romantic): trust, honesty and communication

Its more accurate to say that the sustiva causes SOME people to have "wild dreams". That is, you often hear or read the word "nightmares" about these dreams - but some people who DO dream don't get nightmares -- they just have wild extravagant dreams.

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“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

tjtxtj

I've been taking Atripla for 4 months. At first I thought, "Oh good, I love to dream anyways!!" I can now say that after 4 months the dreaming has become, at times, torture. It's like I do not have any down time mentall...and also the dreams are usually quite emotionally draining. I couldn't understand why someone would stop taking a med just because of vivid dreams, but I can now relate. The dizziness has subsided and really isn't a bother, so like the psychologist mentioned above, I might consider taking the Atripla in the morning. I've inadvertently had to do that a few times when I realized I forgot to take my pill before I went to bed....and I was able to function normally throughout the day.

I am due to start Atripla next week, I am only concerned about facial wasting and fatigue, everything else could be dealt with, I wish there is a way to avoid facial wasting, do u have any statistics about Atripla and wasting percentage? how long does it take to develop it?

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

You are jumping the gun by years and years. Atripla is not a combination that is linked to facial wasting.

This is information you can find most reputable places on the net - here, at Thebody, etc etc.

However, I am guessing the best source would be someone who KNOWS you and your health - so you can talk to your doctor - he/she should set your mind at ease about some of these concerns. Make a list of everything possible and discuss.

You are obsessing a bit much about the future.

First you say you are worried about dreams, dizzy feelings and aches. Now you are worried about facial wasting and fatigue. You see?

I bet you are just worried, in general, about going on HAART.

Don't worry about a lot of this side effect stuff - you might very well just feel fine! Cross the bridge when you come to it.

Don't sit there expecting and preparing for the worst, OK.

Concentrate on what's good. Job? Family? Friends? If you are going to be treated with HAART, that's actually a good thing! It's going to stop HIV in your body. That's great - so accentuate "the positive"

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“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

I was on Sustiva (the component in Atripla that is most common to give side effects) for almost 9 years. After experimenting I found that it worked best for me if I made sure to not eat (especially fatty food) within 2 hours of taking the meds and making sure to take them at least 9-10 hours before getting up in the morning.

Eating too close to taking the meds increased the dizzyness/numbness and taking them too close before bedtime made me feel groggy in the morning.

But, as other posters point out - all people are different and will experience side effects differently. Try Atripla for a couple of months, try experimenting with the time that suits you best to take it and if you feel that the side effects are other than mild after the test time, then I strongly suggest you try a different combo.

It is an effective combo and easy to take and chances are that you won't experience any annoying side effects so don't knock it before trying.

Thank you HIV Sweden, I know I am extremely worried, dont we all at a certain point, I know that side effects are different, yet I was wondering in my original post that if I witnessed any, should I be armed with any medication that could help, in addition I read that Facial wasting is the most depressing side effect that usually causes problems to people, knowing that I already have excessive anxiety , I wanted to put my mind at ease by trying to prepare before it happens or even avoid it.I know that I might not have it, I pray for that , but if I had it, then is it because of the Sustiva that is in Atripla? is switching to another combo a solution to avoid Facial wasting?I understand that the point is to control HIV, I understand this but I am trying to make the cost less, by trying to avoid facial wasting which as I read is considered an important issue that faces HIV+ pepole, yet I am not sure how is it connected to Atripla, in the side effects of Atripla it is mentioned, but I wanted some factual facts to what percent experience it when on Atripla...Wishing that people here dont get frustrated, we all have our concerns bout things that might seem silly to others

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

Do you have an HIV doctor? He/She can explain to you that you will be on very safe, very effective HAART, and that you cannot focus on the LONG LONG lists of side effects that are in the little book that comes with the medicine. Or LONG LONG lists of possible side effects that you can read on the net.

You doctor will monitor your body and face for changes. Body shape changes, if any, depends on A LOT of factors and your doctor can explain which factors apply and do not apply to you.

If your numbers never went very low for long, and you are starting on today's combinations, such as Aripla, you are not in the high risk for facial wasting.

If for some unfortunate reason you had signs of facial wasting, the doctor will change your combinations to see if it can stop it. The combination change will depend on a lot of factors, which you cannot anticipate now.

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“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

I have been on Atripla since April 8. I have never had a side effect. I take it around 9 each evening. One thing I do notice is that I have EXTREME hunger pains all the time. I can eat lunch and immediately become severely hungry. Sometimes in the mornings, I can't tell if it is hunger or nausea. When I take a nausea pill it helps, but other times it is just hunger. Does anyone else have this issue?

Thanks for the clarification, I guess since Atripla is a new drug not much is known about it.body changes are the nightmare for many... I guess because its associated with social stigma...anyway let me discuss it with my doctor, the problem is that she is more worried about the mental side effects only in my case, since I have already severe depression

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

Azprince: As meech says, don't worry about side effects in advance. Atripla is not a high risk medicin with regards to wasting. And if you should get wasting symptoms it won't happen overnight so there will be lots of time to notice it and change to a different combo if/when it becomes a problem.

It is very probable you will experience some or many side effects to start with and they will probably diminish or completely disappear within the first month and then you will find the best time for you to take the meds. For most it would be before going to sleep while a few prefer taking them during the morning.

If you experience side effects that aren't tolerable, then try a different combo. And by the time any long term effects show themselves (if ever) there will be new treatments on the market you can switch to.

It sucks starting with meds, but it will get better and it will be something you don't think about, just another daily routine.

I am trying to hope for new and more tolerant meds, some how it seems that news about new meds are not coming a lot !I hope they will bring us new meds that are more tolerant and easier to take, it has been such a revolution in the last 10 years, so I hope within the coming two years there will be a less toxic medication....just hoping

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

I started Atripla exactly two weeks ago......I took my pill the first night, expecting all hell to break loose.....but it wasn't so bad....dizzy the entire following day and a loss of appetite for a couple of days......but I have to say, two weeks in...I FEEL GREAT! It is the first med I am taking after being poz for 5 years and I was scared....but honestly.....I actually feel better now than I did before I was taking the Atripla! The first ten days of dizzy was well worth it to feel so good now!!

Stick with it, and even tho everyone has different experiences with their meds...I can't say enough about how good I feel!!!

azprince: It can't get much easier than today with several once daily regimens available. Less side effects is something we can hope for, but already today many people can find combos which are essentially side effect free. Today I think the biggest challenge is to provide better alternatives for people who have resistent hiv.

My current regimen with Kivexa/Reyataz/Norvir is a once daily 3 tablet combo. I'm not suffering of any side effects that I notice.

In contrast the first combos had lots of tablets which had to be taken 3-4 times a day and some had to be taken with food and others had to be taken without so one had to be really organised to be able to juggle meds, food, work and life. Or even worse, one could have been on liquid Norvir which is one of the most foul tasting meds ever made.

I occasionally take a sleeping pill (ambien) with my Atripla to sleep through the dizziness+dreams and to get a good night's sleep. It helps a lot. I did have major LSD-like dreams the first night I took Atripla (they were actually really cool) but these "trips" faded out within two weeks. The dizziness, which used to last all night, now only lasts about two hours. Good luck with the Atripla-some call it a "miracle pill" : )

I am trying to hope for new and more tolerant meds, some how it seems that news about new meds are not coming a lot !I hope they will bring us new meds that are more tolerant and easier to take, it has been such a revolution in the last 10 years, so I hope within the coming two years there will be a less toxic medication....just hoping

Huh? Actually there were plenty of new HIV meds that are entirely tolerable that were FDA approved in the past three years: Prezista, Isentress, Selzentry and Intelence.

I occasionally take a sleeping pill (ambien) with my Atripla to sleep through the dizziness+dreams and to get a good night's sleep. It helps a lot. I did have major LSD-like dreams the first night I took Atripla (they were actually really cool) but these "trips" faded out within two weeks. The dizziness, which used to last all night, now only lasts about two hours. Good luck with the Atripla-some call it a "miracle pill" : )

Hey GNYC09,

So does the Ambien work well for you with the Atripla? I'm not taking any HIV meds yet but I do take Ambien CR to help me sleep better at nights.. I will start Atripla soon so I was wondering if those two are work out together well.. You say you still take it occasionally to help with dizziness and dreams.. how far into usage of Atripla are you still having those side effects??

Hi, yes, the Ambien is just as fantastic with the Atripla as it was without. I took Ambien every night the first two weeks I was on Atripla but try to take Ambien as little as possible now. I'm 7 weeks into using the Atripla and don't feel the dizzingess anymore but do remember my dreams every morning, which I really like (rarely remembered them pre-Atripla). I take 5mg of the Ambien btw.

I am on Intelence. Its supposed to be kind of a new improved sustiva type drug. I had wild dream on sustiva. Lately, it seems like they are returning on a regular basis with the Intelence. They seem, I dunno, more psychologically insightful then I ever remember in my life. Maybe they are just more vivid and I remember them better than I used to before HAART.

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“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

AboutToStart, thank you for your comment. It may be that the Atripla contributed to most of the drop in my VL but I personally think it's also do to the daily visualizations/meditations I did. I don't mean to get all "New Agey" but each time I take my Atripla pill, I imagine it shooting all the HIV viruses and my bone marrow producing more T-cells. Hey, it can't hurt ; )

I am on day three. I have had nausea all morning and that drunken stupid feeling right before bed. I kind of feel like I am hungover in the morning w/o the headache stuff is s little spinny. I have been taking off work but tomorrow I'll return. This isn't so bad at all. Before bed when dozing I have had "wakeful" dreams? It's weird it's like I dream part of the tv show and watch part but, that's the Que. to sleep. All in all I am thrilled it's very tolerable.

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